Krotovsky, Don't Start

A mad dash race with death drove Krotovsky not somewhere—no, straight to see the emperor himself, where the ruler “rewarded” him with a land grant in the continental backwater of the empire. But our hero is in no hurry to get all puppy-eyed with delight. He knows that monarchs aren’t Santa Clauses. If they do give something, it’s always for their own interests.